Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - Treatment

Two forms of treatment are used with obsessive-compulsive behavior: drugs and cognitive-behavioral therapy. The drugs used with OCD are designed to alter the amount of neurotransmitters in the brain. They include fluoxetine (pronounced floo-AHK-suh-teen, trade name Prozac), paroxetine (pronounced par-AHK-suh-teen, trade name Paxil), and sertraline (pronounced SIR-truh-leen, trade name Zoloft). An older drug that is sometimes used is clomipramine (pronounced KLO-mip-ruh-meen, trade name Anafranil). However, Clomipramine has more side effects than the newer drugs listed.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a form of counseling conducted by trained medical professionals. The goal is to help patients understand the basis of their disorder. They are encouraged to accept the fact that they have fears and obsessive thoughts. Then they are helped to find ways to tolerate the conditions that cause their anxiety and avoid performing the ritualistic activities of their compulsions. Patients sometimes find it helpful to think about other things by taking up a hobby or finding activities of interest.

Some patients do not benefit from drugs or cognitive-behavioral therapy. Brain surgery is the treatment of last resort with these patients. Surgery involves removing the small part of the brain that controls compulsive behavior. The surgery is successful in about a third of all cases. It may have very serious side effects, however, including seizures, personality changes, and loss of some mental functions.

Alternative Treatment

St. John's wort is sometimes recommended as a treatment for OCD. St. John's wort is an herb that has long been used to treat anxiety and depression. Some practitioners believe that the herb has the same effect on neurotransmitters as the conventional drugs described. Research suggests that a very small fraction of people with OCD may benefit from the use of St.-John's-wort.

Some people believe that homeopathic treatments can help people with OCD. They try to rebalance a patient's mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing, allowing compulsive behaviors to disappear over time.

Chloe Ruth, age fourteen, takes medication for her anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Obsessive-compulsive disorder occurs with equal frequency among men and women, all age groups, and all ethnic groups. (Reproduced by permission of

AP/Wide World Photos

)